Russell Westbrook
When you hear Russell Westbrook’s name, what do you think of first?
- His shoddy outside stroke?
- The fact he’s never won a championship?
- His crazy pregame outfits?
- MAYBE (and this is a big maybe) the way he piles up triple-doubles?
The narrative on Russell Westbrook is ridiculous, but I guess that’s what happens when a player doesn’t kowtow to the guys creating the player narratives in the national media.
You already know Russell Westbrook is one of only two players to average a triple-double for an entire season. He’s accomplished the feat four times, while Oscar Robertson managed it once. Many people forget most of the “experts” thought Oscar Robertson’s magical sophomore season was a once-in-a-lifetime event. They never thought a player would average a triple-double again, that is, until Westbrook did it in 2017.
Sure, the former UCLA Bruin was granted the 2017 MVP award, and then it seems like only a few months later, the national media began to write off his historic accomplishment. Some talking heads chirped that the only reason he averaged a triple-double was that the game got faster, allowing him to rack up more rebounds and assists. Others said what Russell Westbrook accomplished wasn’t, in fact, all that special. They claimed if LeBron James really wanted to average a triple-double, he could.
Do these people really think LBJ doesn’t want to average a triple-double? You’re talking about a guy who cares about his legacy more than any player on earth. Of course, he wants to add a regular-season triple-double to his list of accomplishments. It doesn’t matter if it’s the 20th century or 21st century; averaging a triple-double is nearly impossible. It requires the ability to go hard every second of every game. If you don’t push yourself to the limits, there’s no way you can average double-figure rebounds and assists for a full season.
Look at Russell Westbrook’s 2017 game charts, and you’ll see he pulled down 11 or more rebounds 52 times that season. Westbrook, at 6’3,” had a 29 percent defensive rebound percentage that year, higher than Anthony Davis, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Boogie Cousins. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, Westbrook is one of the best rebounders to ever play the game.
Westbrook never seems to get the credit he deserves. When Chris Paul leads the league in assists, the collective media shouts out, “He’s a basketball savant.” But when Russell Westbrook led the NBA in assists in 2018, 2019, and 2021, nobody said he was a great passer. Nobody even cared.
Let me digress for a moment.
Last season, after resting through the shortest offseason in NBA history, the Lakers shot out to a 15-6 record.
Have a look at Dennis Schroder’s per game January numbers (remember last season began on December 22): 31 minutes, 12 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 38 percent from the field, 26 percent from deep, 12-4 record. Then the injury bug swooped down and bit the Lakers, and the rest is history.
LeBron James and Rob Pelinka had to be looking at the Lakers’ early-season record and Dennis Schroder’s performance when they traded for Russell Westbrook. Schroder played awful basketball, yet the Lakers were still atop the western conference standings through the first 20 contests.
So, what can we expect from Mr. Triple-Double next season?
- Russell Westbrook’s going to go hard.
- Every night he’ll try to add another triple-double to his growing pile.
- He’ll push the pace.
- He’ll rebound better than any guard in the league.
- He’ll dish dimes better than nearly every other guard in the NBA.
- He’ll finish well at the rack (65% from 0-3 feet in 2020).
And, yeah, he might struggle from deep, but if the start of last season is any indication, the Lakers don’t need excellent three-point shooting from their starting point guard to rack up wins.